The Unnamed
by 383BooksFictionally
Summary: He killed because he was jealous. Jealous of those who were loved. But now he too is loved. He cannot kill. He must not kill. He cannot kill...
1. Preview 1

_"Brother, please stop this! A story such as this can only end in tears and tragedy."_

_"What do you know? You left too! It's not like you ever cared!"_

_"Brother, of course I care. About you and Alphonse both! I-"_

_"Stay away from Al, you heartless bitch."_

_"Brother..."_

After watching his back fade into the distance, the girl opened her eyes and allowed one tear to slip from her eye before she closed it once again.

* * *

"What did I tell you, idiot?"

"What?! What do you mean 'Ed's sister?'" The energetic man was surprised, of course, having just been told news that he doubted anyone else knew about the youngest state alchemist in Amestrian history.

"Just what I said," his blond partner in conversation replied, "Ed's sister has been living in this city for some time, so I don't really need to stay with you and your family. Please, I don't want to be a burden."

"A burden? Nonsense! We'd be glad to have you, plus it's Elicia's birthday, and she'd be so happy to meet you. Besides, I'll need you to give me more details about this 'Ed's sister,'" the man replied with a mischievous grin. The man, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, placed an arm around the girl and forcefully led her through the empty halls of the hospital and outside to his car. She protested the whole time, but he kept an iron grip.

_"Hey, Al. Since we're already here, do you think it would... be okay...?"_

"So, it's not really a big deal," the young blond teen finished explaining around the head of a large teddy bear.

"Of course it's a big deal! The Elric Brothers and the secret Elric Sister-"

"Not Elric," she said, lowering her gaze to the ground. "To avoid confusion, she took the name 'Hohenheim.'"

_"I'm sure she wouldn't mind, but what about you?"_

"Though, if you want to stay on Ed's good side, I wouldn't suggest mentioning her around him. You'd probably be fine talking to Al, but Ed would either lose his temper or lose his calm."

"Eh? Why just Ed?"

"Because he blames himself for what happened."

_"I think I'm strong enough this time."_

* * *

The two brothers stand outside the great, black iron gates, their gold and silver contrasting the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the building. Neither one can take the first step, and eventually the golden one takes a step back, shaking his head.

_Not today…_

_._

_. _

_. _

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_I'm sorry_


	2. Preview 2

_"Mama... Mama..." she cried. 'I just wanted to make you proud. I'm not a monster!'_

_"What do we have here?" A smooth, calming voice wafted to her ears, and she turned her tear-streaked face to the woman who towered before her. She did not look like a towering beast, like most other women had, but she had a gentle smile on her face and a ponytail on one shoulder. The woman walked over to the crying girl, lowered herself to her eye level, and placed a hand on her head. "You must be hungry. Why don't you come back to my home, and we'll get you something nice and warm to eat?"_

_"Mama told me to wait here," the girl replied with her tiny, breaking, terrified, sad little voice. All these emotions travelled to the woman and struck her heart. _

_'What a tiny, breaking, terrified, sad little girl,' she thought._

_"Well, I'll just have to call your Mama and ask her if it's alright. OK?" She cleverly lied to the little girl for her own sake. Does this make her a bad person? The tiny girl nodded. But the woman looked to the sky instead of to her. "Oh, dear. It seems as though a storm is coming. Why don't you come with me to my home, where the phone is? Then I can give you something nice to eat, and I can call your Mama and tell her where you are, and we'll both be nice and dry under a roof. What do you say?" The woman, so clever, offered her hand to the confused little girl. The girl took it, not knowing then that that one hand had changed her life forever._

She opened her eyes slowly, stretching herself upwards and rising from her "dream."

"_Still thinking of unnecessary things, are you?_" The other "person" in the room called out to her a question, which she answered with a glare and a short phrase.

"Shut up."

The "person" grinned menacingly then turned to the other quiet presence in the space.

"It seems as though we'll be having a visitor." Suddenly, the unoccupied gate opened, and a golden presence was set inside the white room. The doors shut, and the room was silent. Then, the half-metal boy's eyes opened. Hers widened.

"Brother!" Her voice jumped from her throat without her consent. Her body moved without permission. She was soon embracing him, and she didn't know why. "I've missed you so much."

"V-Vallie?!" His exclamation shocked her into control. So long had it been since anyone had called her name, and it made her so happy. A smug grin widened on her face, but she hid it quickly. She removed herself from being draped across his shoulders and shook her head.

"I think you're here to see him," she gestured to the weak boy behind her and returned to her small corner of the universe, grinning with her victory.

After the golden boy had disappeared, the white "person" appeared beside her. Without looking up from the notes she was writing, she spoke to the creature.

"Our deal?"

"_Of course_." It's reply surprised her, and she looked at the creature beside her. Then a smug look appeared on her face and she glared at the thing.

"Oh? I thought you were more possessive than this, beast. I honestly thought you would back out of the deal shrieking 'it's not fair!' or 'another chance!' or some nonsense like that." The girl's attitude was vile, but no more so than the way she had been treated for so long.

"_Yes, I suppose I am a bit calm for losing my favorite conversation partner. But, I won't stand for your gloating any longer. Go! Be gone from my sight, human. I hope to never see you on this side of the gate ever again_!"

"As you wish, beast." She spoke with a bow then waited for the gate to open and the black arms to wrap around her. She reveled in the pain of having her limbs torn apart then reassembled, because it meant she was going home. Finally, finally, home.

After the girl had left, Truth turned to the other inhabitant of his realm. He was watching him curiously, then he spoke.

"_Why did you never make a deal with me? Didn't you want to go back_?" It questioned the boy, simply curious, though it knew the answer.

"I have faith that Brother will come to get me, and it'd be bad if he finally made it here and I had already gone on without him."

"_Hmph. Just as I thought._"

**Hello, readers! Thank you for reading the second preview of my story. Next week I'll post the first real chapter. It's already been written, but in order to avoid overloading myself I'll only be posting once a week. If any of you didn't already notice, I've changed my pen name from Pandora99 to 383BooksFictionally. It's so that I'm the opposite of my sister, 382BooksActually, who should be following me but isn't. From now on I should be posting once a week, and if you notice I don't post for a while, spam me. I mean it. If that happens, you should get a chapter soon. So for now, have fun wondering what happens next and be glad you're not my friends, because they already know. I apparently can't shut up about this thing. I sure do hope they're not annoyed... Bye bye, see you next week. **


	3. Chapter 1

Roy Mustang massaged his temples in an attempt to get rid of an ensuing headache. He had only just arrived at his desk, only to be barraged with papers, forms, and documents that needed his signature. No matter the word used to describe it, paperwork was paperwork, and therefore undesirable. Steeling himself, the colonel stole a glance at the paper at the top of the stack. It was a report on an explosion that had happened at an asylum several days ago. Though the story appeared interesting, the colonel dreaded having to read the report and sign off on its arrival. He was about to return to procrastination until he spotted a very unique name. A sly grin crossed his face as he considered how fun it would be to tease his subordinate about this later. Grabbing the report, Mustang rushed from the office and, hesitating slightly, went to find someone else who would find this dilemma quite interesting.

* * *

"So what you're saying is that you didn't come all the way down here just to see pictures of my lovely wife and daughter?" the happy-go-lucky military officer asked his friend after a half hour of gushing about his beloved family.

"That's what I've been saying this whole time!" the other military officer, now frustrated, relayed to his friend in a forceful manner. He had urgent news, and all this man could think about was how cute his daughter was?! "So, back to the urgent news I had been hoping to tell you, I was hoping you could take a look at this and dig up some information on the parties involved."

The cheerful military man grabbed the report from his friend with a suddenly grim look and looked it over quickly, skimming the mere details. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he turned to his friend.

"Hey, did you see this? It says that..." His voice trailed off, for he was unable to continue. However, his superior officer nodded, knowing what he intended to say.

"That's right. The only person they haven't found, dead or alive, is her." He paused dramatically and took another glance at the unbelievable piece of paper that had started a dilemma.

"Valerie Hohenheim."

"Glad I finally learned her name," the cheerful man stated, breaking the tension that had built up in the room as they stared at the singular piece of paper. It took a moment for his words to sink in, but the superior officer soon turned to his friend questioningly.

"What did you say?" he questioned furiously.

"Well, I'd heard from their childhood friend, Winry, that they had a sister, but she never told me her name other than that she took Hohenheim as her last name." After this sentence, Maes Hughes finally stole a glance at his friend, who glared angrily at him, as though he had kept from him a terrible secret. "Sh-she said that it was to avoid confusion, which I didn't really get, since the whole rest of the family is named Elric other than their father, and I don't know anything else, so maybe you should call Fullmetal himself." As he had spoken, the air of danger surrounding him had increased, and he spoke faster and faster, becoming smaller and smaller, trying to hide from his fate of being crispy as the toast his friend had no doubt eaten for breakfast.

"That's a good idea." Mustang stormed out of the office in a huff and went to his own.

"Yeah, and while you do that, I'll go home and get a change of underwear!" his friend shouted after him. Thus, another cheerful day at work began for both of them.

* * *

He was about to slam the door shut behind him when he heard a phone ring. Turning quickly, Edward Elric let out a single curse before heading back into the dark room and picking up the phone.

"What? We were just about to leave," Edward answered, irritated.

"Oh, good. You haven't left yet," the annoying voice of his superior, Roy Mustang, wafted out of the receiver of the phone, and Edward had to fight an urge to slam the phone back on its stand.

"What do you want?" the teen demanded the phone.

"I just figured you might have a bit of information I need for an investigation. You see, I got this report this morning-"

"Cut to the chase, Colonel, or I'm going to be late for my train!"

"You might want to be." His voice. Changed. He knows something he shouldn't. "As I was saying, apparently, an explosion went off at an asylum the other day." No. no no no. He won't say it. He doesn't know. No one knows... "And the only person involved that they couldn't find was a girl. She's fifteen, black hair."

"No way..." he barely breathed it, the inaudible two syllables.

"And her name was Valerie Hohenheim. Know her?"

The world _stopped._ His flesh hand went numb, and he dropped the phone. There was a resounding _thud _as it hit the wooden floor of the rented room. His breath stopped, as though one of her playful punches had landed on his diaphragm. Edward turned and left the room like that, the phone dangling, and the colonel's cries unheard.

Suddenly, Alphonse was there. He grabbed his brother's shoulders, shook him, shouted his name, but he didn't notice. All he did was look into his eye sockets and whisper two words, words that meant everything.

"She's gone."

* * *

_A sudden exclamation startled her awake,and light began to stream onto her face in full force. Reaching up to find the cover that had once covered her, she remembered her position. Opening her eyes quickly, the child stood from her sleeping space and wrapped her mind around the familiar, golden face of the odd man before her. She giggled for a brief moment then jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck._

_"Good morning, Papa!" she exclaimed happily. He pulled her off of his neck and stared at her in disbelief._

_"What were you doing sleeping in my suitcase?!" Van Hohenheim questioned the girl loudly. She rubbed her tired eyes and looked into his. _

_"Was that bad, Papa?" she asked with her head leaned to the side._

_"It was, and you know it. Don't try to get out of this by acting cute!" the alchemist nearly shouted as he scolded his daughter harshly, immediately seeing through her cute act. _

_"I'm sorry, Papa," she mumbled, fake tears beginning to form in her eyes. The father sighed and patted the girl on the head reassuringly. After she stopped crying, he became business-like once again. _

_"So, would you mind telling me why you were in my suitcase?" he asked overbearingly. The girl looked away in thought for a moment, then she turned back to the alchemist with a grin on her face._

_"I wanted to come, too!" she exclaimed happily._

_"Huh?"_

_"I overheard you and Mama talking last night about you leaving and... well..." she trailed off and glanced to his face, reassuring what she wanted to say. "I-I was drawn to your alchemical power, so I wanted to come with you."_

_"Huh?" he asked again, only more confused over something else._

_"Please, teach me about alchemy!" The girl clapped her hands together and sat on her knees in front of him, bowing her head. It was then that the alchemist realised that the position they were in was strange. The girl, sitting in his suitcase, sat on the table before him while he sat comfortably in the seat. A few people were even beginning to look his way. He picked up the girl frantically and placed her on the seat beside him._

_"Alright, alright, but there are a few conditions. One, your last name will be Hohenheim instead of Elric, to avoid confusion. Two, you will not cause a scene, especially when I am doing something important. Three, this one is most important," he leaned down and looked into her bright, childlike eyes with his dark ones. "You will not call me Papa, you will call me either Van or Hohenheim. Do I make myself clear?" The girl thought for a moment then turned to face the alchemist with a smile._

_"Yes, Van Hohenheim!"_


	4. Chapter 2

Roy Mustang was surprised, no, dumbfounded, but he wasn't about to let the eldest Elric child beside him know that. At the scene of the explosion, the Central City Mental Hospital, Colonel Roy Mustang was shown a picture of the only person unaccounted for, Valerie Hohenheim. Hohenheim's children usually had blond hair and golden eyes, but this one, the only one to take his name, had almost the exact opposite. Her hair and eyes were jet black, but her skin was clear and pale. It could be said for a child of Hohenheim to have a regal or cat-like face, but hers was thinner, more like a snake. In short, there was no family resemblance.

Though he tried to hide it, Edward Elric seemed to sense his surprise at the lack of family resemblance.

"I can see a look of surprise in your face. What's the matter, never seen a girl as pretty as my sister before, you perv?" the eldest Elric child teased. Ignoring the kid's teasing comments, the colonel replied cooly.

"Well, usually I'd expect there to be more resemblance, especially considering how much you look like your father," Mustang replied. Noticing the colonel's cool attitude, the kid held back further teasing remarks.

"Well that's because she's not blood related to us. Our mother found her lost in the streets one day, so she brought her in, and eventually she was like family."

"I see," the colonel muttered.

"But even if she doesn't look like she's related, she sure does act like it. Her alchemy's even more advanced than mine." As Edward Elric spoke, his eye glimmered with pride, and he kept his cool easily. It was almost as if he was talking about his own child rather than his sister.

'But I guess that's what it's like to be an elder sibling,' Roy Mustang thought to himself.

"So, I guess we'd better find her then."

"Yeah," Edward glanced down at the ground, wishing his brother was there with him, but because Winry still needed someone to go to Rush Valley with her, they had left him in Central so he could search for his sister.

"Sir!" a voice shouted from behind them. He rushed toward them and panted a bit as he halted before the Fullmetal and Flame Alchemists, and he caught his breath before delivering his news. "Sir, a young woman matching the description provided for Valerie Hohenheim was just seen by an officer purchasing a train ticket."

"She left the city?!" Mustang exclaimed. "Where was she going?"

"Somewhere called Dublith, sir," the soldier replied. Both Edward and Roy froze for a moment. At that exact moment, both were probably thinking the same thing, and both were probably regretting getting Edward off that train.

* * *

_"Hey, Vallie?" The timid voice of her younger brother broke the silence as the two were walking home from school._

_"Yes, Alphonse Elric?" He mentally winced as she called him more formal than siblings should, but he ignored the feeling and continued with his question._

_"Do you think I'll be able to see Mom again?" To say she was surprised by the sudden question would be an appropriate description, but she reasoned it was because the date of the "event" was drawing ever closer. _

_"No." _

_"Eh?" Alphonse looked at her serious face, surprised. He was used to Ed's inspiration and comforting, so he didn't expect for his sister to answer so bluntly or honestly._

_"I've warned you many times, I expect the transmutation to fail and for everyone to lose something important to them."_

_"I see," Alphonse replied quietly. They walked in silence for a while before he turned to her."Well, I think we're going to succeed," he stated stubbornly. His sister was about to negate his remark when she turned to him and saw the pure smile lingering on his face. Then she paused and nodded to the boy._

_"Yes, I suppose you could be right."_

"Wow! Winry, look at the sunset!" A cheerful, echoing voice exclaimed. It was very familiar to the girl.

'Wait...'

"Oh, wow! I'm surprised you even noticed that, Al. Sunsets aren't really a manly thing," Winry replied. The boy laughed sheepishly, and the girl hidden behind them paled as she heard the voices in the next seat over.

'Winry... And Al too. Of all the trains in the station, I just _had_ to get on this one,' she thought as she tried to find a way to escape from being found. She thought she was safe once she had left the city, but to see her younger brother in a place like this...

Pulling the hood on her dark coat higher, she listened to the conversation behind her.

"It's kind of sad that Ed couldn't come," Winry noted, her tone darkening.

"Yeah.. But I'm sure he'll be able to meet up with us in Rush Valley!" the boy replied happily, brightening up the mood of the seat behind his sister. Winry didn't reply verbally, which made Valerie assume she replied with a look of some sort. Noticing how the silence grew awkward, the boy tried to change the subject.

"So, nice weather, huh?" Valerie almost had to feel bad for the kid's lack of social skill.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Winry replied dazedly. Figuring the two of them were looking at the weather outside the train, Valerie took the opportunity to sneak out of the seat and into another car of the train. What she didn't see coming was the large body of her brother poking out of the seat and into the aisle.

"Ah!" Alphonse heard someone exclaim, and glancing over, he realized a person had tripped over his large metal leg.

"Oh, sorry!" Alphonse exclaimed as he leaned down to help the fallen girl. "Are you alright?" He asked her this out of reflex, and also because he saw she was clutching her knee with her hands. He tried to reach down to help her, but she batted his hands away as if on instinct.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered, pulling her hood down over her face and standing slowly. Alphonse looked closer at the girl. Something about her was familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. She raced away without another word, and Alphonse watched her go curiously.

"What's wrong, Al?" Winry asked, noticing him staring in the direction of the cloaked girl.

"Nothing, she just seemed familiar," Alphonse replied, growing quiet afterward. This time, the silence was not awkward. Rather, it was thoughtful for both alchemist and mechanic. The silence was broken only a few moments later when the mechanic yawned.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep. I don't want to get to the automail capital of Amestris only to be too tired to do anything," Winry commented.

"Okay, I'll just be here," Alphonse replied with a happy tone. One could only assume he was smiling on the inside.

'The weird thing is, I thought she sounded sort of familiar too,' Winry thought to herself as she fell asleep, bringing on dreams, and nightmares, of her past.

* * *

"Winry, we're here." A metallic, yet soft, voice roused the blonde from her sleep, gently shaking her and calling her name. She pulled herself from the happiest memories of her life, and she smiled up at what remained of them.

"Sorry, Al. I was having such a good dream," she commented as she collected her things and disembarked from the train.

"I'm sorry for waking you, then," Alphonse apologized. Winry shook her head and kept walking. She examined the crowded streets, slowly forgetting about the dream and instead living one in the streets of Rush Valley.

"Hey, Winry!" Alphonse called from a crowd that had engulfed him, interested in his "full-body automail." The girl turned and giggled at the boy's predicament, and she helped him shoo the crowd away. "Thanks," Alphonse sighed. "We should probably find a phone and contact Brother. And we should also reserve beds at the military bunkhouse," Alphonse suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Winry agreed.

* * *

"What do you mean she was on our train?!" Alphonse exclaimed into the phone, disturbing his few neighbors. He and Winry took nearly the entire day getting to the bunkhouse, spending most of their time exploring the various shops and displays along the way. Only now was he learning he had missed the one opportunity he was going to have to see his sister for a while.

"She took a train to Dublith. We don't know why yet, but we do know that she must have passed through Rush Valley to get there. I'm in Dublith now, and I'll have to stay with Teacher, since you have my pocket watch," the tiny alchemist explained. If Alphonse had a heart, it would have skipped a beat. Something his brother had said set off alarms in his mind.

"I have your watch?" Alphonse questioned, looking through the few things he carried to check for it.

"Yeah, I gave it to you so you could get lodging at the bunkhouse, remember?" Edward replied, suddenly growing cold himself.

"No, I got a permit for the housing, so I never got your watch, remember?" Alphonse countered. "Here, I'll ask Winry if she knows who should have it, because if I don't and you don't, then that means..." He trailed off, not wanting to face the truth..

"It could have been stolen..." Edward finished for him.

"Brother, what are we going to do, if that is the case?" Alphonse questioned after a brief silence.

"We'll just have to find it. I'll call that colonel, and you can ask around Rush Valley, OK?" Alphonse nodded, then remembered that a nod couldn't be heard through a phone and responded verbally. Then he hung up the phone and walked in a way that would have been tired if an empty suit of armor could be tired, to Winry's room. Knocking on her door, he entered and found her sitting on her bed, poring over a book. Judging by the cover, it probably had something to do with mechanics and automail. She noticed him and set the book down beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked familiarly. She patted the area of the bed beside her, offering it as a seat for him. He instead sat on the floor beside the bed, not wanting to take up too much space or crush the bed with his weight.

"Do you know who had Brother's pocket watch?" Alphonse asked quietly. Winry thought for a moment then nodded to herself.

"I think Ed said he put it in your stuff for us to use to get the rooms, but since you had that permit, I didn't think we'd need it, so I didn't mention it," she confessed. Alphonse, realizing he had lost his brother's State Alchemist watch, let his head drop, and he groaned loudly to himself.

"What's the matter?" Winry asked, surprised by his reaction.

"I've lost Brother's pocket watch!" He exclaimed loudly, his voice cracking from would-be tears.

"Don't worry! I'm sure it'll turn up! After all, it's not like anyone wouldn't recognize a state alchemist's watch, right?" Winry stated, trying to cheer up the armor. Then, she noticed something. "That's not all that's bothering you, is it?" He was silent for a long time before he spoke.

"She was there." His voice was so quiet, Winry almost couldn't hear it. "She was right there. I could've found her, and given her a big hug, and said 'let's go home,' but I didn't! She was right there, and I, her little brother, didn't even know. I should've found her! I should've known! I should've..." He didn't have tears to stop him. All he had was Winry, who was now hugging him from behind, her on her bed and he on the floor. He couldn't feel her warmth. All he could feel was her weight pressing down on his back, making him lean forward. She said nothing, only held his cold metal tightly, trying to somehow make him feel her warmth.

"I wish..."

"I know."


	5. Chapter 3

_"Hey, you." The girl's voice called to her guard boredly. He turned his head to see her laying on her bed in silence, reaching her arm up to see something only her eyes could see. _

_"What?" He asked harshly, turning his whole body toward her with an angry look on his face. Her unfocused eyes continued staring at the ceiling, ignoring his hostility. _

_"Do you see them?" She asked in her dazed-sounding voice. He glanced to where her eyes were looking, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He looked back at her and saw she was watching him. He shook his head, and she returned her dark gaze to the ceiling._

_"Is that so? That's a real shame. They're beautiful." She continued staring at the same spot for a while, narrowing her eyes later. "Mama, I think I might be a monster. A crazy one," she called to some unknown being that only she could see. She closed her eyes, finally lowered her arm, and, a minute later, let out a tiny laugh._

_"Anyone would think you're crazy, laughing at nothing," the man in the corner stated meanly. _

_"It's not nothing," she replied, giggling again. "My arm's all tingly because I held it in the air for so long." Hearing her explanation, the guard in the corner sighed, and after the noise, the room became silent once again. _

_The silence was broken forever later, possibly days, by the same person._

_"Hey, you," the dark girl called in her surprisingly strong-sounding voice._

_"What?" The guard replied, ceasing to use venom in conversing with her. _

_"Do you have a name?" She asked. The guard scoffed at her question, apparently finding it ridiculous._

_"Everybody has a name. Some people change or reject their names, but all people at one point were given a name," he replied smartly._

_"Will you tell me your name?" The girl asked patiently. She looked away from her imaginings and back at him, her eyes drilling holes into his mind. She could see through him, _into _him, and he could feel her probing around and judging every piece of him._

_"I-It's Private Jackson Marris," he replied with a slight automatic salute, bringing his arm down to his side when he realized who he was saluting. The girl turned this information over in her mind, picking it apart, truth and lies._

_"I asked for your name, not his." Her reply was shocking to her guard, but he kept his cool as easily as he could._

_"I've told you my name, it's Jackson-"_

_"I've already forgotten which of his 'children' could transform. What a sad excuse of an alchemist I am," she stated in the coldest voice he had ever heard from her. He could no longer keep his cool, so he decided to keep his mouth shut and try to keep his emotions inside. "Ah, now I remember!" She exclaimed, sudden exhilaration infecting her emotions. Then her glare cooled down again._

_"You're Envy, right?"_

* * *

He had searched everywhere. He had searched the stores, the workshops, even the bus, but the silver gleam of his brother's pocket watch was nowhere to be found. Now he wandered the streets of Rush Valley with a depressed aura surrounding him, driving away all potential automail freaks who would like to investigate his armor. He had called Ed several times to check on his progress, but both had run out of ideas. Having finally given up, Alphonse wandered the streets hoping for the epiphany of a lifetime. Suddenly, it came in the form of two gossiping men.

"Did you hear what that Paninya did?"

"What is it this time?"

"I heard she stole a State Alchemist's pocket watch."

"No way!"

"Even worse, she tried to sell it."

"That kid's crazy! She's gonna get in some trouble that she can't worm out of someday."

"Excuse me, but could you please tell me where to find this Paninya?" Alphonse's interjection into the conversation was swift and unforeseen. Both men jumped, and one, intimidated by his size, spat out her location with a stutter.

"Sh-she lives a-at the top of the hill w-with that crazy mechanic, Dominic LeCoulte!" The men were terrified, and after the one spat out his answer, they took one glance at each other and ran from Alphonse down the alley.

"Thanks," Alphonse muttered to the running men who, of course, couldn't hear him. With a sigh, he turned and marched toward the hill.

'I wish people weren't always so afraid of me...' The metal soldier had thought such things in frequency, but there wasn't much he could do to change it. He marched through the heat of a summer day in the dry place slowly, but he never tired. His metal body protected him, and kept him, from feeling anything.

"Hey, Al! Wait up!" Hearing the high-pitched, feminine voice, Alphonse turned to see Winry catching up to him on the steep trail.

"Winry?" he questioned as she caught up, placing her hands on her knees and panting. "What are you doing here?"

"Hope I'm not interrupting an inner debate," she stated after she caught her breath, "but I'll be going to Dominic's with you." Alphonse was expecting to be alone, but he realized he was happy for the company and nodded happily.

* * *

'Someone's following me,' the girl thought to herself as she walked through the mildly crowded streets. Sparing a glance behind her, she saw a short figure wearing a battered was the same figure she had seen at the food stand she had stopped at earlier, and it was definitely the same figure she had seen on her train ride here. She turned suddenly into an alley, determined to lose it. She walked through twists and turns, slowly gaining speed, but the cloaked figure stuck to her path as if it could smell her. It too was gaining speed. 'I guess I'll just see what it wants.' She stopped suddenly and turned to her pursuer. It stopped suddenly, not expecting confrontation. The two dark, cloaked figures faced each other in the alley, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally, she did.

"Why are you following me?" She spoke harshly, her voice tough and loud. The figure looked like it was about to bolt, and she took action. She propelled herself forward, ramming an elbow into the figure's gut. The person fell to its knees, and she launched another attack, this time a foot to its face. The figure fell back with a shoe print on its face, its hood pushed back from the force of the blow. She sat herself on top of the ugly beast whose face now showed, her arm poised to kill it if need be. Once again, she demanded. "Who are you? And why are you following me?" The creature shrieked loudly before trying to raise its hands to shield its face.

"I'm sorry! I'm Bido, a-and Mr. Greed sent me to bring you to him," the pathetic creature wailed. The look in his eye showed he felt guilty for betraying his friend, "Mr. Greed." Wait, Greed?! The girl grabbed the collar of the creature's shirt, pulling his putrid face close to hers

"Did you just say Greed?" She asked in a ferocious manner. The creature nodded, and she released him. With a sickly smile, her cold eyes bored into his head, freezing his mind and heart. She began to chuckle lightly, a plan forming in her mind. "You _will_ take me to this "Greed," and I _will_ kill him. Understand?" All the creature could do was nod. She lifted herself from the ground, and the creature stood, very very slowly. She gave him one last menacing look before speaking.

"Lead on, Bido," she teased, following the chimera from the alley and into the streets as he slowly lead her to the Devil's Nest.

Once they were in front of the door to the Devil's Nest, the girl pushed Bido aside, sensing the presence of a homunculus behind the door. She slammed the door open with all her might, alerting those inside to her arrival. Glancing behind, she noticed Bido had run away and chuckled, thinking the action suited him. She then walked into the dark room and announced herself loudly.

"Special delivery! Special delivery for someone by the name of Mr. Greed," she called to the blackness before her. She could sense the presence of many chimeras behind her, blocking out the meager light the open door had offered. One of them came up to her from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to face him. He was a very large man with long white hair and bulging muscles. She didn't even give him a chance to speak before placing her hand over his. She then crouched down suddenly and shifted her weight to her back, pushing out her leg to trip him and flip him over her. It was a very sudden move that ended with him dazed on the ground and the girl crouching beside him. A shocked silence fell over the crowd, and she stood, putting on an innocent façade and looking around the crowd now surrounding her. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak with Mr. Greed," she requested in a childlike voice. She could feel them beginning to close in on her, and she made a decision then and there. She held out her arms, and the crowd backed off, worried about what she would do. "If you must tie me up before you allow me to meet with Mr. Greed, I am fine with that too," she offered. One of the people in the crowd then slowly inched forward and cautiously wrapped a rope around her wrists. She stood perfectly still for the process, but she glared icily at him at the same time. However, her childlike smile never left her face.

Once the chimera finished tying her wrists, a part was made in the crowd, and he led her to another door which undoubtedly led her to Greed. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, the girl could see that it was a mere four or five people, not really a large crowd as she had at first thought. She followed the chimera leading her, and eventually he led her to another room. He held the door open for her and closed it behind her. She walked into a small room lit by candles and not much else. The only furnishings were a desk and two chairs, and in one of the chairs was a dark figure, a man wearing dark clothes with dark hair. The man smiled at her with a dark smile, and after these few observations she knew that he was the homunculus she was looking for. Both parties in the room wore dark smirks as they surveyed the ones in front of them. They both felt like predators who had finally found their prey, but one was right and the other was only fooling themselves.


	6. Chapter 4

The girl blinked her eyes open slowly, unable to tell the difference between when they were open and when they were closed. A dull headache throbbed in the front of her mind, but the darkness seemed to help. As she blinked and looked around the room, she began to make out a large, looming figure on the opposite wall. She blinked faster, her eyes adjusting faster as well. She could now see that the person was wearing armor. It had lots of spikes and an odd symbol on the shoulder... Oh. It had taken her a long time to make out _who_ exactly was only six feet from her face.

"Um, Miss? Are you awake?" A boy-like voice spoke to her cautiously. She realized he hadn't noticed who she was, and she wasn't about to jeopardize her identity for small talk. She nodded enough for Alphonse to see in the darkness and he sighed, sounding relieved. "Thank goodness... I was worried you'd never wake up, given the rough way those people threw you in here."

'So that's where I got the headache...' Valerie thought to herself. She sat in silence for a minute before realizing the armor was waiting for a response. She cleared her throat and tried to make her voice deeper than usual before replying.

"I'm sorry to have worried you," she answered, hoping her change in voice would hide her identity. Hearing a gasp from Alphonse, she knew she'd failed.

"I know that voiced," Alphonse realized verbally. Valerie mentally cringed as she waited for the boy to blurt out her name. "You're the girl I tripped on the train!"

...

"Huh?" Valerie didn't even realize she had spoken aloud until Alphonse replied.

"Yeah! You were trying to push past quickly, and I ended up tripping you on accident," Alphonse explained, adding in a sheepish apology at the end. However, Valerie wasn't listening.

'Should I be relieved or should I be mad? I mean, it's been five years, but the kid should at least recognize his own sister's voice! He remembers the voice of the random person he ran into on the train, but he can't remember his own sister's voice?! If I wasn't tied up, I would... Wait, I'm tied up? How did I even get down here anyway? Last I remember...'

_The girl in the dark cloak pushed the hood of her cloak back before she sat in the seat in front of the homunculus, a smirk on her face the whole time._

_"I don't think you should be smirking, girlie. You just walked into the lair of Greed, the man who wants everything, with your hands tied," the homunculus stated with an air of confidence. The girl shrugged, placing her hands in her lap and leaning back in the chair._

_"Who says I need my hands to do alchemy?" She asked this question rhetorically, but they both knew there was a hidden meaning in it. It revealed who she really was. "How do you know my father didn't train me in the use of unmoving alchemy?"_

_"You're bluffing," the homunculus replied. He sounded sure of himself, but in honesty his confidence was wavering while hers was growing. Had he really been fooled into a trap like this?_

_"Bluffing? Why would I bluff in a situation like this? All you'd have to do is tell me to prove it and I'd make a great fool of myself," she answered, completely serious. Though, she was bluffing. And by stating the one situation she didn't want to happen, hopefully her opponent would think she had thought ahead of them and believe her even more. When Greed stayed silent, she knew her bluff had worked. "Bring me some tea and I'll tell you what I want," she ordered arrogantly. The homunculus was surprised, and his surprise turned to anger as he heard her haughty tone and request._

_"Who are you? Thinking you can come in here, threaten me, and then order me around," Greed raged, standing from his seat and slamming his hands into the table between him and the girl._

_"I'm the person who'll kill you if you don't do as I ask," she replied, her glaring eyes freezing his mind and preventing all thought. "Besides, it's just one harmless cup of tea, right?" _

_Greed left the room in a rush, his anger frozen by her icy glare. As he stomped through the halls of his hideout, he concocted a plan to stop the girl. He knew his thoughts could be frozen by her glare, so it had to be something he could do without needing to think. Then, he got the perfect idea. Bringing her tea with a little something added in, he went back into the room, his confidence back to its original level. He set the tea in front of her harshly, some of the liquid splashing out onto the desk. He returned to his seat as she made a 'tsk' sound with her tongue._

_"How do you expect to get the ladies if you can't even fetch tea without having a tantrum?" She asked him teasingly, hoping to make him angrier. He exhaled his anger, calming himself before continuing._

_"So, what is it you want with me?" Greed asked, getting to business. Valerie maneuvered as best she could with her hands tied to pick up her tea and stir it, but all she succeeded in doing was make herself look like a fool, so she set it back down after taking one sip. Clearing her throat, she replied._

_"I want you and your gang to help me defeat Father before the Promised Day," she demanded. The homunculus would have been shocked if this demand, filled with knowledge of things normal people shouldn't know about, had come from anyone else. But, knowing she was the daughter of Hohenheim, he could understand how she came to know about the coming events. Though he was about to reply, she continued. "I know you have no love for Father and his band of misfits, and you and your own band of misfits could probably do a lot of damage to his plans without him realizing it." She paused again for a long time, and just as he was about to reply once again, she cut him off. "Plus, if you were to ignore me and remain neutral, you wouldn't get the sweet info I have about the attack Father's planning on this place." The last bit of that sentence caught the homunculus off guard. Finally he interjected, and she didn't interrupt._

_"What do you mean Father's planning on attacking us?! We've never caused him any real trouble, so he should just ignore us," Greed shouted. Valerie smirked before replying._

_"You're his disappointment of a son. You ran away from him, and that just makes him look bad. If he can't control his own son, how can he control the power he's trying to obtain? Those sorts of thoughts run through the heads of his subordinates. If he doesn't act fast, they might think he is weak and try to dispose of him. He won't be put out of power, but we're too close to the Promised Day for him to risk having to start over. It would just be so much easier for him to get rid of you and reassure his dominance than let you be and have your mere presence destroy everything he's worked for," Valerie explained. If this were a battle of two fronts, Valerie had nearly won one while Greed had used a trick to win the other. Suddenly, Valerie's body felt weak. Her eyes glazed over and her mind grew still. It took her a moment to realize what had happened, and in that long moment, Greed had tightened the bonds on her wrists and wrapped new ones around her ankles. He then lifted her up and was carrying her to the room where she was to be imprisoned._

_"What a creep you are," she joked, using all the energy she had left to say this one sentence, "drugging girls and tying them up." With that one last chuckle, everything went black._

"Oh, that creep!" The girl exclaimed as her memories flooded back. The boy in the corner was startled by her sudden outburst and change in voice. "If he ever unties me, I swear I'll kill him!"

"Um, killing's not nice." The boy across the room tried to calm Valerie down, and though his words didn't calm her desire to destroy, she forced herself to calm down and let out a sigh.

"So, I sure do hope you were joking when you said I was "the girl you tripped on the train," Alphonse Elric," Valerie accused. Though he most likely could not see her eyes, she gave him a cold glare. Alphonse looked apprehensive as he processed what she had just said.

"I wanted to make sure before I suddenly called you my sister," Alphonse confessed.

"Welcome home, Valerie."

Valerie revelled in the feeling of having someone say her name for the first time in five years. In her mind, Truth had only called her "you," and to her body, she doubted anyone had called her name the whole time she had been in the hospital. However, the feeling was familiar, and she was glad to have something that felt familiar despite the five year gap in her experience.

"What's with that cat?" Alphonse asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Valerie questioned. She glanced down at her side and saw a small black cat curled up beside her. It was a small black cat with a very strong dark energy, red eyes, and an ouroboros tattoo... It reminded her of a homunculus...

She jumped back from the creature, sending it sprawling across the room, far away from her. As it flew, red sparks flashed around it until it was in the form of a person with black hair and an ouroboros tattoo. He crossed the room quickly and sat in front of her, looking at her with eyes that seemed to filled with either love or longing.

"Valerie!" He shouted, moving closer to her than she was comfortable with. Her heart clamped tight, and a warm yet cold feeling flushed her body.

'The hell is this? Why do I just want to draw him close to me?' She thought as he inched closer.

"I missed you so much! I'm so glad you're safe," he wrapped his arms around her cheerfully, and though her body and soul wanted to hug him back, she forced herself to push him away.

"Who the hell are you?! And do I love with you?"


	7. Chapter 5

He was alone in a dark room. The walls and floors were damp with a mysteriously thick substance, and a rotting and dark smell invaded his nose. A single light illuminated the area around him. He saw a wall on either side of him, making the room look more like a hallway. He grabbed the dying torch and began wandering down the dark hall. After walking for what seemed an abnormal amount of time, he finally found a door at the end. It was tall and covered in rotting wood, the handle and hinges made of an odd rusted metal. He grabbed the handle cautiously and turned it slowly. The room he entered was darker than the hallway he had just emerged from. A small, unlit lantern stood in front of him on a rusted stand, but the lantern was too small for him to light it with the blazing torch. He ripped a small bit of his shirt hem and lit it using the torch, then used that to light the lantern. Though the lantern was small, it released a blinding light that illuminated the entire hallway. He had to shield his eyes as they adjusted to the light, and once they had, a dark sight greeted him.

An empty suit of armor sat in the corner, myriad scratches littering the metal. As he examined closer, he that the chestplate had been completely removed. Looking closer he saw it across the room, in many pieces scattered across the floor as though a monster had tried to rip his brother open. The legs of the armos were in a similar state, shattered and not allowing the armor the stand. A crack ran up the side, running around to the back and ending in the center of-

Edward had to look away. He was too late to save his brother. Just as he was about to turn away, he heard a short sob emanate from the corner of the room. He stood, ready to battle, facing the small, cramped creature in the corner. It had long, matted black hair, with some parts having obviously been ripped out. A white hospital patient's uniform contrasted against the darkness of the room, and though Edward couldn't see her face, he knew who she was.

Valerie turned to face her brother, tears streaked across her smiling face. She ran up to him, and he saw a large scrape running down the length of her arm, blood dripping from it down to her elbows and staining her uniform. Her eyes were unfocused. That wasn't a good sign.

"Brother, brother!" she announced excitedly to no one. "Brother's here to save us! Alphonse, get up, let's go!" She jumped around the room and grabbed the arm of the empty armor and shook it. She pulled him up in vain, only to see the deadweight fall down again. Confused, she turned to Edward. "Papa, why isn't brother moving? Is he sleeping?" Edward couldn't answer. She had him confused with the father who had abandoned him, and she stood alone in the room with his dead brother. He couldn't answer, not because of these things, but because of the hands on his throat that pushed against his windpipe and prevented his breath.

_"Papa, I think it's about time you went to sleep, too."_

* * *

Edward woke suddenly, a cold film of sweat perfectly coating his body. He sat up as best he could and observed his surroundings. He was in a bed with scratchy white sheets and a matching pillow in a room that was obviously from a military bunkhouse, obviously because he had been to so many.

'What was with that dream?' he thought to himself as he shook himself awake and got himself ready for the day. He remembered the whole thing vividly, from arriving in the dark hallway to his own sister trying to strangle him. He wondered if it was a premonition, but he shook the dark thought from his mind and proceeded to plan out his day. First: search for Alphonse. Second: search for Alphonse with Teacher. Third: Teacher will give up, but still keep searching for Alphonse. At least, that's what he planned. But a light tapping on his window told him his plans might be changed slightly. Turning, he saw an odd creature on his window, stuck by a disgusting-looking substance on his palms. Edward knew it was probably a bad idea to let the thing into his room, but with all the odd things that had happened to his family, he figured it had to be related to one of them. So he opened the window. The creature, which ended up being "friends" with Valerie, introduced itself as Bido.

"I know I'm disobeying Mr. Greed by doing this, but that girl is just too scary," the creature started. Edward would usually have shouted at the creature in impatience as it fidgeted around on his floor, but he was still held captive by the mystery of his dream. The creature continued. "The girl Mr. Greed brought to our place ended up being really scary. She glared at me and said some horrible things before we went in. She told me to bring you to her or those horrible things would come true. Normally I'm very loyal, but that woman..." Bido trailed off, and Edward forced himself to refocus on reality. Just now processing the news, he had a suddenly ecstatic, though delayed reaction.

"You're gonna take me to Vallie?!" he shouted, grabbing Bido by the shoulders. The thing nodded, and Edward dropped him. "Then go!" he ordered, and the thing ran off, leading Edward toward the Devil's Nest.

* * *

_It had been days since he had arrived in Dublith, and there was still no sign of his brother or his sister. He sat at the gloomy table with his teacher, Izumi Curtis, and her husband, Sig. Dinner was displayed in a cheerful and appealing way, but none of the people at the table could enjoy its image. All three had fully spent the day's energy, Edward and Izumi looking for any sign of the boy's siblings, and Sig trying to run the shop and think of a way to cheer up the brooding teen. None of them had had any success. As the three were thinking on their failures, a knock came at the door. Izumi rose and answered it, and after hearing the visitor's news, ushered him into the dining area with a smile on her face._

_"Edward, this is Samuel. He has some good news for you," Izumi introduced. Samuel was a man that could be seen commonly around the town of Dublith. His arms and legs were thick and muscular, but not quite so as Sig. He had short brown hair and matching almond eyes. His face was kind and warm-feeling, though also a little shy with a hint of intimidation in his square jaw. With a single glance at Edward, the man could tell his news was needed._

_"Well," Samuel started, "the other day, I saw a girl matching the description of the one I'd heard Mrs. Curtis was looking for, but something seemed weird. I saw a guy following her, and pretty obviously, too. So I followed the two of them and saw her confront him in an alley. She intimidated him, and he led her some place. I ended up getting lost in the alleys and losing them, but later in the day, I saw the same thing happen to some kid in a giant suit of armor. Whoever that guy is, he acts like a coward, but he's one cunning lizard."_

_The whole room had been silent as the man gave his testimony, but as soon as he finished, the blond had left his seat at the speed of light and grabbed his jacket with a short "I'm going out!" and a slam of the door. _

_"That was fast," Izumi commented once the child was out of earshot._

* * *

It didn't take long for Edward to grow suspicious of the man leading him. The creature had come from nowhere to lead him to the thing he had been searching for for a week. Something definitely wasn't right, but even if this was a trap, he'd let himself fall right into it if he got a chance to see his brother again. After a long trek in silence, Edward began to recognize the area around him.

"Hold on," he called to the stranger leading him. It stopped and turned to look at him, waiting for him to speak his mind. "I searched this place earlier today, there's nothing here."

"Our home is well hidden. So well hidden that even alchemists like you can't find it," Bido answered proudly. He then turned back toward his target and continued leading the more and more suspicious alchemist behind him. Soon, they stood in front of a run-down club, and Bido was motioning inside. Though he was suspicious, Edward knew that this could be his only chance of seeing either of his siblings ever again. So he stepped inside.

_A crack ran up the side, running around to the back and ending in the center of-_

_Edward had to look away. He was too late to save his brother..._

He shook the foul image out of his head as he forced himself into the dark space behind the door. The creature that had led him there shut the door behind him, enclosing him in complete darkness, but he was ready. He expected a flurry of attacks now that he was in the dark, but none came. Lowering his arms, he focused more on looking through the dark and finally made out some figures in the shadows. He realized that the figures weren't people, they were boxes, crates, a bar, glasses. Examining the space further, he saw a door on his left and a trap door to his right.

_It was tall and covered in rotting wood, the handle and hinges made of an odd rusted metal._

He cleared his head again and turned to the trap door, using his common sense to figure the kidnapping victims were being kept in the basement. But as he leaned down to open the core, rather than hope of seeing his siblings, he felt he felt a strong desire to run away, to let someone else face the truth. He didn't want to look in that room if what he saw was a nightmare.

He shook his head, knowing what was coming next. He pushed his fears back, throwing on a reckless mask, and threw open the trap door, descending without using the wooden ladder leading down, and forced his eyes to look at the scene before him, no matter how horrifying. And it certainly was horrifying.


	8. Chapter 6

Valerie was distracted by the sudden noise of the door being wrenched open. She turned her attention to the intruder, intending to appear hostile should it be Greed or one of his subordinates and innocent should it be the military or some other group come to rescue her. However, that plan was foiled by a certain strange man who had had her full attention until the intrusion and had regained it once again.

His face was suddenly far too close to hers, and she felt a sudden rush of warmth to her cheeks as he brushed his face against hers. She could feel his warm breath on her ear for a brief second before he moved away. Then he came even closer, places his lips on hers and kissing her lightly. Her instinct was to kick him or punch him away, but with her arms and legs bound, that wasn't an option. However, a second instinct told her to kiss him back, and a warm, satisfied feeling clouded a part of her mind. She pushed that instinct aside and did the only thing she could manage in her position. She pushed forward with all her power, tilting her head so it rammed into his. She successfully rammed him off of her, and he sat a foot away, cradling his head, but in return she was prone on her side, her left arm and leg scratched up from the fall.

"V-v-v-v-Vallie?!" A familiar, feisty voice called in shock. Not only had her younger brother been scarred by the forced kiss, but her protective older brother had seen it and her resistance. She glanced from person to person, noting the shock on Edward's face as well as recognition toward the strange man, the emotionless armor Alphonse wore, though if he could show emotions, he'd probably show one of absolute terror or disgust, and when she set her eyes on the stranger, an odd feeling of remorse and pity flooding her mind. She let it pour over her mind rather than shove it down for once, and it bubbled in her mind and gut, pushing her forgotten memories of five years resurface in the most painful way; it made a single word of recognition bubble in her throat, pushing itself through her mouth and into the room.

"Envy...?" She said the word, and the now identified stranger glanced up at hearing his name being called. Her vision flashed white and an intense pain filled her head as she felt herself lose consciousness.

* * *

She woke suddenly, the pounding in her head coupled with a ringing in her ears. She sat up, the ringing fading slowly, but the pounding staying strong. She glanced around the room she was in, trying to take in all of the details. The sickly yellow walls clashed slightly with the green wooden floors, but at the same time it gave the room a warm and relaxing feel. The bed she was in had rough sheets and not much else but a pillow and a mattress laid on the floor. All in all, it looked like an excess room that wasn't expecting a visitor anytime soon.

'Wherever I am, I'll have to make sure to make sure to thank the person who brought me here,' she thought before slowly standing, casting aside the sheets and checking her attire. She wore a simple black dress with a high collar and few details other than the pocket resting above her left hip. She wore no shoes, and her hair was a mess, but it was better than the hospital gown she was expecting. Curious about her surroundings, she pushed open the door to the room, surprised to find it unlocked and even slightly open. She stepped down the hall a few paces, seeing a door with candlelight shining into the hall, stopping only when she heard voices coming from the other side, one of a sickly sounding woman and the other from a man with authority. The woman spoke first.

"I appreciate everything you've done for the Elric brothers." The woman sounded sincerely grateful, however she also has a voice that sounded as if it wasn't used to being this formal. However, it was the name she used that attracted Valerie's attention the most. 'She knows my brothers... Does she know who I am?' she questioned internally. Then, the man spoke.

"Oh, no. Its nothing at all. It's one of the duties of the military to protect our state alchemists. But what about you? I'm sure you could use a little extra protection," He stated, almost like a threat.

"You mean as a state alchemist?" The woman was incredulous.

"Why, yes. Exactly."

"You're asking a bedridden housewife to join the military? You can't be serious. Is the county really in so much trouble that you'd need the help of someone like me?" She sounded kind at first, but as she said this, her dislike for the military and the man before her became obvious.

"Hahahahaha. There's no need to be harsh." His chair slid back, and Vallie took that as her cue to find a place to hide while he left. She chose a little bit down the hall, missing the last bit of their conversation. She stumbled onto another conversation, this one between two brothers and a gruff-sounding military man. She was about to turn back to the room where she had first woken up to seem less suspicious until she heard what the first brother had to say.

"There's something I forgot to mention. Greed had an ouroboros tattoo." Was that Edward? What did he say about Greed? More importantly, what did he know?

"I'm not sure I follow." The military man obviously didn't know much of anything.

"Think back. The fifth laboratory, the philosopher's stone. Remember the guys I told you and Colonel Hughes about?" A shutdown laboratory in Central? The philosopher's stone? Vallie didn;t see how the two were related, but she did know the homunculus and the stone were related, so she kept listening.

"Colonel Hughes? I..." The man stopped speaking for a second, pausing as if to add emphasis or think about what to say next. What he did say next was harsh and firm, like a command that, if not followed, could lead to death."Listen, Edward, do not do anything rash."

"Sure..." Edward was obviously unnerved by the man's sudden serious tone, leading Valerie to believe he was usually a fun-loving person. Something was wrong. He knew too much.

"Well then," he sighed. Taking a step back from the conversation and toward the door. "Good night." That should have been a hint, but Valerie was too busy analyzing what this man must have known. He stepped through the door, his hulking form nearly too large for the small frame, instantly noticing the suspicious black-haired girl positioned in a perfect spot for eavesdropping. Then she noticed she was noticed.

"Ah..." she glanced up at the hulking man, thinking of an excuse, and observed him. A mass of muscles and a curvaceous moustache gracing his face were his most prominent features; along with those were a bandage wrapping around his head, a small curved peak of blonde hair sticking up from his bald head, and a glowing aura that almost physically glittered around his face. Then, his "charming" personality took control.

"Who might you be? Aren't you the one we saved from the Devil's Nest?" His face was too close for comfort, and though she tried to run away, Valerie tripped over a small form behind her after a quick turn, causing a loud thump. Now her brothers were sure to notice.

"Armstrong? You alright?" Edward called, passing through the door and immediately taking notice of his sister. Having landed on her front, she pushed up with her elbows and turned to see the military man, Armstrong, offering a hand to help her up and her brother's gaping mouth as she took it and stood, slowly, intending to stand before answering any questions. She took a second to glance down at what tripped her, seeing a small black cat with red eyes and... Oh. _Great_. Ignoring the being for the time, she turned to her brother, expecting a torrent of questions, but she got none. Instead, she got an equally forceful hug, and, though unexpected, it was warm. A warmth she had missed. Though it was mildly awkward due her brother being vertically challenged. She rubbed his back in a comforting way, trying not to make the height difference awkward. He stayed in that embrace for a long minute, Armstrong standing in awkward silence and Alphonse's armor immobile in the other room. When he finally pulled away, he conspicuously wiped his eyes on his sleeve, using the excuse "I'm not crying, just tired" and went back to "repairing Alphonse," leaving Valerie with Armstrong.

"So, you must be the famous Elric sister." He waited for her to confirm before he continued. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist." He flexed his muscles in emphasis, and Valerie feigned amusement with a small laugh.

"You have many titles I'll have to remember," she joked, moving into a curtsey, "I am Valerie Hohenheim, younger sister of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," as she straightened, she smiled up at the Major, reciting the final line of their formal introduction, "and the pleasure is all mine." She heard a loud clunking, most likely Alphonse standing up and testing his repaired armor, and waved goodbye to the Major and walking to the alley where her brothers were waiting. On any normal day, Alphonse would have hugged her immediately, but he knew that his armor was cold and large and he might crush her; he wouldn't be able to feel it anyway. So there they stood, brother and brother and sister reunited after five years, yet the only sound to break the silence was the mewling of a cat that really wanted some attention.

Valerie found a seat on a crate by the wall and sat, pulling her long hair to her left side and braiding it, waiting for the questions to start. She was determined not to be the first to speak, not knowing where to start or what her brother knew. The cat went quiet after it noticed the younger brother glaring at it, find solace in sitting beside Valerie on the crate. The younger Elric was watching the cat carefully, but also observing his sister. When he first found her after she escaped from the hospital, he noticed she was acting more hot-headed and informal from how she had before, but now she had returned to her old self, quiet, resigned, and extremely formal, despite the fact that they were siblings. Edward wasn't sure what to think. He had seen even less of his sister than his brother had, and he had no idea why Alphonse was glaring at the cat like that, but from what he did see, he knew something had changed while she was in the hospital, including her personality. That had been a firm fact in his mind, but now she had reverted to the way she had been before. Something wasn't right... And yet the silence raged.


	9. Chapter 7

She had finished braiding her hair, and now she was leaning against the wall, nearly asleep. The questions still hadn't been asked, and, though she was determined it wasn't her place to start the conversation, many moments had passed where she nearly had. Each had taken their turn with this action, speaking up and then quieting down, or clearing their throat but saying nothing. The cat had fallen asleep, curled up against her thigh, what felt like hours ago, Edward had situated himself in a cross-legged position, studying notes in his journal, as tough trying to solve a difficult puzzle, and Alphonse watched the cat with intensity, never faltering, but also deep in thought like his brother. It was only when she was moments from sleep that she realized he wasn't only watching the cat.

"Brother." Alphonse called quietly, snapping Edward out of his focused stupor and Valerie away from sleep, but she kept her eyes closed, trying to let her dreams take her. Edward glanced at him, unfocused on the world outside his fast-working mind. "I think she's asleep." Edward blinked twice, taking a moment to change his thought process to focus on what his brother was saying. Finally registering, he glanced at his sister and stood, ready to try and carry his sister, who was taller than him, to her bed. Alphonse interrupted. "They're back. All the memories of when my body was taken away, I remember." This time, it didn't take Edward long to respond.

"What'd you see?!" He nearly shouted. Remembering his sister was sleeping, he lowered his voice.

"Hmm... Well, it was definitely weird." Alphonse paused at this, and Valerie could only assume he was doing some sort of motion with his arms or head. The conversation turned back to serious. "But unfortunately, I didn't find out anything about how to get our bodies back."

"That's OK," Edward comforted. "Besides, it looks like Valerie's somehow fine. Maybe we can ask her tomorrow." There was a long silence after that.

"So I guess we haven't made any progress..." Alphonse muttered, his statement most likely carrying a double meaning.

"No, that's not entirely true. You remember what the Führer told us back in Central? About the unrest amongst the ranks of the military?" Valerie hadn't heard about this. She listened more closely.

"Mm-hm. And it all had something to do with the philosopher's stone and those ouroboros guys. He said he was trying to gather info on them." Ouroboros guys? Did he mean Homunculi?

"Well Greed was obviously connected to them somehow. But if so, why'd the Führer slaughter everyone? If he was trying to figure out what they were up to, why didn't he catch them and make them talk?"

"Yeah, good point. It also seems weird that the Führer himself would lead an attack against such a small group."

"It sure does. No matter how you look at it, none of this adds up. We've been warned. We need to get closer."

"You most certainly do not," Valerie stated, glaring at her brothers and revealing she had been listening. She stood from where she had been sitting, shaking the crate and waking the cat. "Whatever you two have gotten yourselves into, it needs to stop. The Homunculi are not creatures to be messed with." Edward perked up, noticing something in her sentence.

"Homunculi? What're those? All I was talking about were these weird people with the same tattoo." Oh. Crap. Valerie tried to cover up her mistake with a forceful command.

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you're messing with something that affects the Fuhrer, so it's obviously bigger than you. How many times have you been injured pursuing this?" His awkward silence answered her question. "Exactly. Too many. You need to know when to stop, Edward."

"But Vallie," he started, the determined light shining in his eyes along with a slight guilt. He needed to do this. "You obviously know something, otherwise you wouldn't have been listening. You're our sister, you should help us with something like this."

"I don't know anything," Valerie declared, but the light in her eyes soon faded, as though she remembered something. "All I know is what our father told me." There was something sad in her voice.

"Vallie, what happened between you and Dad?" Alphonse asked, finally interjecting after finding somewhere to stop the heated conversation. She visibly flinched and clenched her fists, remembering what had happened. She knew she couldn't run from answering him, so she did. First, however, she cleared her mind and unclenched her fists, relaxing.

"He deemed the situation dangerous, and me weak, so he sent me to take care of you. That is all." Her emotionless answer surprised her brothers, her expression before showing so much more boiling on her inside than they had seen from her in almost her entire lifetime. Then again, they hadn't seen much of her as children. However, this shock also stopped the conversation, letting silence flood in once again. Surprisingly, she was the next to speak.

"It's getting late, and we're all tired from what happened today. I suggest we get some rest," she reasoned, grabbing the cat at her side gently and holding it in her arms as she made her way into the house.

"Vallie, just one more question," Alphonse called, waiting until his sister turned to face him before asking. "Why do you have that cat?" Any other question, and Edward would have said it could wait until morning, but his own curiosity as well as his brother's tone restricted him from making such a comment. Valerie glanced down at the cat, as though it could give an answer, but after a moment, she glanced back up at her brothers and shrugged, leaving that as the final answer and returning to the warm bed she had left behind before.

* * *

He hadn't had much time to explore the house since he was guarding Valerie, but once she had fallen asleep under the watchful gaze of her unsleeping brother, he deemed her safe and left to explore. He was nearly stopped by her watchful vigil.

"Where do you think you're going?" Alphonse asked the shady cat harshly, to intimidate, yet softly, to not awaken his sister. The cat turned back to him and gave as much of a shrug as it could, as a cat, leaving through the cracked door, knowing he wouldn't follow. As far as the young alchemist saw, the farther the creature was from his sister, the better. Once he had left the room, he trotted around the house, finding a kitchen, a dining area, another bedroom with two sleeping figures (most likely the couple who owned the house), a small living area with the other alchemist curled up and sleeping on the couch, a small shop area, and not much else. Finding he wasn't content with just searching this house, he found a cracked window and used it to make his escape, noting the physical details of the meat shop before exploring the town, noting details like the positions of train stations, bars, gambling dens, and other illegal institutions as well as shops selling foods or clothes. He noted these locations not for his own sake, but for the sake of the one he left sleeping. After his brief walk through town as a cat, he decided on taking a new form, deciding to use the one which held a certain meaning to him.

"_Hey, Envy," she called to him, ignoring his protest that his name was not Envy, but something else and continuing what she intended to say to the only person she'd had contact with during her two years of confinement. "Don't you think it would be nice to have your own name and appearance?"_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" he asked incredulously. She asked such weird questions, he shouldn't be surprised, but she still shocked him sometimes. She giggled in response, but it turned into a chuckle, then a laugh, then a sort of cackle, before slowly fading back down the scale. _

"_Sorry. I got caught up in the laugh there," she explained, making no sense. Then, she continued her original thought. "Since, even if you die, you "Father" can replace you with a new Envy, the name is really more of a title, right? And your appearance with the black hair and tattoo are what every other homunculus wears, right? So it's sort of like a uniform. So wouldn't it be nice to have a name and an appearance all for yourself?" Her questions made sense, but he felt a sense of foreboding, almost as if, if he took this suggestion, Father would somehow disapprove. However, with the way she looked at him he knew he couldn't say no._

"_Alright," he sighed, "why don't you try to think of a name?" Her face lit up as she tried to think, testing many verbally before asking him._

"_Dieter?"_

"_No."_

"_Bergen?"_

"_No."_

"_Cagnoaldo?"_

"_No."_

"_Ildefonso?"_

"_Where do you get some of these names?_

"_Calros?"_

"_No."_

"_Schaden?"_

"_Seriously, that just sounds ridiculous."_

"_Eh? I really liked that one..." She looked downtrodden, but he would absolutely NOT let her call him Schaden. However, she perked up quickly. "How about Neid?"_

"_It's better than Schaden..." he muttered to himself, but she obviously heard him. "Alright, alright. I'll take Neid as a name," he decided, only wanting to appease the girl. The name had been chosen quickly, but the appearance took longer, each minor detail important to the girl. Though at first he was reluctant to transform for her, he admitted she knew who he really was and transformed to appease her, letting her see who he really was. In the end, he had long black hair tied to the side, pale skin, and dark eyes. He had an overall graceful appearance with a figure that wasn't exactly masculine or feminine, fitting to his ambiguous personality. He wore inconspicuous clothes, claiming he had to look normal in a crowd. Though his face was fair, it looked more Xingese than Amestrian, and he knew he wouldn't use this form often. However, she seemed pleased, and he was fine with that. Not that he cared whether she was happy or liked how he looked._

Even now, as he walked through the streets of Dublith in his "own" form, he didn't know whether or not he had loved Valerie then, putting up with her every whim if only to make her stop being so annoying. As he glanced in a store, he noticed a dress he thought she'd like. It was long and formal, full-length arms and a high collar covering everything from just above the collarbone to the feet. It would be worn with flat shoes or shoes with a small heel. It was colored a dark, but not navy, blue with black lace running along the edges of the collar, sleeves, and skirt. A small pendant, which appeared to open like a locket, rested on the chest, its forest green contrasting yet completing the dress in an odd fashion. "That would look so nice..." he muttered. He soon realized he must have looked strange and turned away from the elegant display, returning to his cat form, to the meat shop, to her room under the watchful eye of her brother, to her side, and to sleep, where he dreamt of a ball, her dancing in the dress with the green pendant and a green feather clip pulling her hair behind her ear on one side. He only woke up sad from his dream knowing he couldn't give that to her. Ever.

* * *

She woke up and smelled the roses. Well, if roses, smelled like bacon, but it had been a long time since she had smelled either. Still, the always recognizable smell of a good breakfast made her wake from her light, morning sleep, as well as the sudden absence of the warm cat snuggled by her side. She glanced around the room, noticing Alphonse had left his post by her bed in favor of the cheerful sounds of the kitchen, even if he couldn't eat the food. She stood, letting her small blankets fall to the bed in a messy heap, and made her way to kitchen, following her nose and growling stomach. There she found an odd scene. A thin woman, so thin she looked sickly, sat at a wooden dining table stroking a black cat. Valerie's oldest brother was laying on the floor, what appeared to be transmuted wood sticking out of the floor to make contact with his stomach. A large man, more muscle than bone, was holding a spatula delicately, cooking bacon strips on the stove with tender care. Finally, her brother, in his suit of armor, sat across from the thin woman, glaring at the cat as though it had caused a massacre. Which it probably had. In short, the scene would have been odd to anyone outside this messed up family, but to Valerie, it was just another morning. She smiled lightly at her conscious brother, taking a seat next to him. Then, the questions finally began.

**Hey, guys! Sorry****about my sudden, announced hiatus, but I'm back, and just in time for the new HxH! In case you didn't hear, Hunter x Hunter IS coming off of hiatus, finally, so we fans should be getting new chapters soon! **

**In case you didn't notice, this isn't a new chapter, but an edit to the old chapter. Sorry to disappoint... BUT I do have an actual new chapter, and****it should be out soon, so see you then!**


	10. Chapter 8

She had a cat in her lap. As she stroked its head, it purred, and when she stopped, it stopped. It would look up at her with its red eyes with more comprehension behind its gaze than any cat she had seen before. This was a special cat. Despite how boring it was to sit and stroke the cat, she pretended to be focused on just that. When the siblings had been talking outside, each was more than willing to start questioning, but now it was the day after, and many questions had faded from the front of their minds to the back. In the end, someone unrelated was the one to start.  
"So, why were you in the Devil's Nest?" Izumi Curtis, the sickly thin woman Valerie had learned was Ed and Al's alchemy teacher, question boldly.

"I wanted to kill Greed," Valerie replied matter-of-factly, as though that should have been obvious. "And you?" she asked her brother, her gaze shifting to the face of his armor.

"He wanted me to tell him how to become immortal, since technically this body can't die unless the seal is broken," he replied. It was sort of like a game of truth or dare, with one asking a question, and the one asked asking the next, but instead of one person teams, there was a team of three versus a team of one (well, two if you counted the cat, which Alphonse did).

"Why did you leave the hospital?" Alphonse asked his sister.

"I regained my mind, and I felt I needed to find our father. I felt the best way to do that would be to join with Greed." As soon as she finished her sentence, her older brother lurched forward.

"How'd you get your mind back, why would you want to find the bastard who left you behind, and why would Greed help you?" Edward suddenly spouted the questions everyone was thinking, but he ruined the calm feel of the room and the slow tone of the conversation, leaving an awkward broken silence. For this, Valerie ignored him.

"All three of you," she started, gaining the curious attention from all three, "how much do you know about the word 'Homunculus'?" There was no swift answer, other than a jerk of the cat's head, a swish of his tail, and a glare directed at Valerie. Edward didn't know what a homunculus was, but it must have been important for her to be asking them about it directly. Then, he remembered something about it from that man's notes.

"Isn't a homunculus supposed to be a perfect human being or something?" she gave him a surprised look, which told him he must be right. "I remember it from the old man's notes. He didn't have much, he just said they were perfect humans made by humans."

"Is that all?" she asked, almost harshly. She wanted to everything he knew, because if he knew too much...

"Yeah, that was all," he replied, "now answer my questions." Valerie nodded.

"I regained my mind by making a deal with Truth, the one who took it. I need to find our father because his work is important, and he will most likely need my help. He will also want to know that I have regained my mind. Finally, Greed was probably already looking for our father anyway." She glanced at the faces of her companions, looking for any sign of confusion. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask?" There was a moment of silence.

"Yeah," Edward spoke up, drawing attention to him. "What's with the cat?" Valerie glanced down at the creature and stopped petting it, as if noticing it was there for the first time.

"I do not remember what happened while I did not have my mind as it was not there to document my memories, however this cat and I seem to have been close during that time, and I do not wish to reject him simply because I do not remember him. We must simply become close over again. I think his name is... Neid?" She drew the cat close to her face, examining him and saying the first word that came to her lips as she did so, hoping muscle memory remembered his name on her lips. It seemed it did as the cat looked at her, recognizing his name.

"What will you do now?" Izumi, who had been quiet since the beginning, asked the finishing question, striking a blow across the room. What would happen after this? She could go with her brothers, she was strong enough, but they were worried. She was worried. And that's what they were worried about. No, she couldn't go with them. But what then? She couldn't stay with Izumi. She wasn't the type of person who could stay in one place long, but they didn't want her wandering around the country by herself.

"You don't need to worry about that." She announced, having decided her plan of action a long time ago.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Edward asked, more of a shout. He knew where she was going with this.

"I'll find our father and join him in his travels," she replied.

"We can't just let you run around the country by yourself! What if you get lost or someone hurts you?" His overprotective nature was showing, and Valerie wasn't impressed.

"Brother, I'll be fine. I'll have him," she said, raising the cat up to show her brother. He wasn't amused. In fact, this seemed to make him angry.

"This isn't a joke, Vallie! You could seriously get hurt like that! If what we're getting into is dangerous, what do you think the old man's doing?" He was yelling now, both Izumi and Alphonse intimidated out of the conversation.

"Brother, calm down. I don't want to have to do it for you..." He was upon her then. Whether it be her choice or his, he would not let her be one her own. What if something went wrong? What if she didn't really get her mind back? He was arguing with her out of concern, but he looked violent. As though he would force her somewhere safe. She didn't like that look. When she felt he got too close, she clapped her hands together, placing them on his chest. She had done this many times before, but she was still worried. It had been a long time, and she was out of practice.

Alchemical sparks spread from her hands, and a great force erupted from them. The cat could sense danger where he sat, and he jumped from her lap, his hair on end. A spark flew, not alchemical, and the automail on her brother seemed to hum with energy. He collapsed to the floor, his energy gone, and Alphonse and Izumi shocked.

"Sorry. I felt he needed calmed down, but it seems I used too much force," she explained, her brother unmoving on the floor.

"Wha... What did you do?" Izumi asked after a shocked moment of silence.

"Don't worry. He is only asleep. I used the positive and negative electricity in the air to create a static shock on a larger scale. It's like when lightning strikes a tree, but not deadly." She tried to explain as simply as she could, seeing as her method could be considered advanced. She stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to take care of." She walked to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Alphonse called, standing suddenly, obviously angry.

"I am going to find our father."

"Why can't you just ever call him Dad, or just Father? Whenever you talk about him, you make him sound like a god," Alphonse asked, not realizing he had just brought up a controversial issue. Valerie looked to the ground, embarrassment on her face.

"He is not Father." With those words, she left the house, the small cat hot on her heels. She left the house while her brother was sleeping to find the father who left her family while they were sleeping. She had changed. Family used to mean everything, but now they couldn't understand what meant the most to her. They couldn't understand that she was trying to save them by leaving them behind. She couldn't understand just how broken her mind was. So she took a ride to central, her cat now a man, her heart slightly broken, and no idea where to go from there. And yet they had never addressed the critical issue. What had happened to the Valerie they had always known?

**I'm back! I suppose I was inspired by Togashi-sensei's revival, cause I'm Back! jk I inspired myself. **

**YAY NEW CHAPTER!**

**For those of you who didn't see, I added a bit more to the end of the previous chapter, so be sure to go back and look at it. **

**Also, I've decided to start doing "Valerie's Observation Guides" about characters from the show, so be sure to check those out at the end of each chapter. I'll try and start updating regularly soon, so sorry if it's a while until my next chapter! **

**Anyway, here's the first ever Valerie's Observation Guide:**

**Vato Falman (aka Vanessa/ The Bishop)**

**Reason for Investigation: Works under Roy Mustang**

**Current Rank: Warrant Officer**

**ID: IGO4649**

**Pro: Loyal. Speaks formally. Intelligent. Good photographic memory.**

**Con: Poor combat skill. Not well acquainted with.**

**Usefulness: 24%**

**Notes: ratty apartment. Poor eating habits. Low wages. Likely to be transferred. No steady girlfriend. Lack of social life outside of work. Odd eyes. Dubbed "walking encyclopedia." Brave. Cries Easily. More loyal to friends than state.**


	11. Chapter 9

_The sky was streaked with an orange glow when she found were cuddled up together by a grave, at the only graveyard in the small town they had grown up in. When she approached, they looked up to her with wide eyes. She pretended not to know them._

"_Excuse me, but I can't seem to find where my family lives. Could you help me find it?" she asked politely, the way she would approach a stranger. It had been a long time, but these children were definitely her brothers._

"_Valerie? Is that you?" Edward asked as he stood. He was shocked and his stance showed it, but she could also see that he couldn't decide. He hated his father because he left, which he believed led to the death of his mother, and while Valerie had left with him, he didn't know what to think. Was she taken? Did she go intentionally? She had always been the most mature of the three siblings, but then wouldn't she know she needed to stay? Alphonse didn't seem to be having trouble with such a decision._

"_Valerie!" He ran to hug his sister, this being the first time, in his memory, he was ever seeing her in person. She wrapped her arms around him, only slightly taller. She had always grown the fastest, and was usually the tallest. She looked to Edward, and, giving in, he ran to her too, and the three embraced for a long time. When the hug was finally broken, the three walked home to Winry and Pinako's as though it wasn't the first time._

She opened her eyes from the brilliant dream and looked up to see the moon, surrounded by darkness, shining down on the land as it rushed by. The seat of the train was uncomfortable, and the few hours of sleep she had gotten were only the beginnings of a nightmare.

"You should get some more sleep," the man on the other side of the booth whispered. She looked at his unfamiliar face, a feeling of familiarity rising in her chest. She nodded, the odd feeling becoming common in her mixed up present. She liked the simple past better. She surrendered herself to it, laying her head against the window and closing her eyes, asleep quickly.

_She had been greeted with hugs and smiles, as had her brothers. It seemed they had left home for alchemy training during her absence, and her return was their as well. If she believed in coincidence, she would call it that. Instead, she called it fate. She used what she had learned from Hohenheim to teach the boys a little more after dinner that evening, showing it to Winry as well. However, the advanced theory went over the girl's head, and all she could do was read her mechanics books by herself. After the short lesson, the three walked home. There was somber mood. She hadn't been told yet..._

"_Where is Mother?" Valerie asked suddenly, stopping both brothers in their walk. She had known something was wrong when she found them at a graveyard, and she knew it was their mother when they went to eat with the Rockbells alone. The sad looks they gave her were all she needed to add the final piece of the puzzle. _

"_I see." She was crying. Her throat hurt, her nose ran, and tears gathered in her eyes. But the feeling that was supposed to come with the tears didn't come. The horror, the despair, the sadness, the grief. She felt nothing. She continued walking, tears starting to stream down her face as she walked home, ignoring her brothers' consoling words in favor of her own theoretical pursuits. Yet the tears never stopped. She opened the door to their home, not quite sure what had possessed her to keep moving. She nearly collapsed at the door, but she had to continue walking. She climbed the stairs, walked down the hall, and opened the door, finding the white sheets of the bed in the room with the perfectly positioned window her mother had loved. Yet the bed was empty. There was no mother. She went to her mother's dresser, finding the letters her mother and father had sent back and forth. One was left unsent, and with a loud tear, Valerie, aware that her brothers were watching, opened it, reading her mother's intended final words to her father. She memorized it in that one small instant. Paper could be destroyed, but her memory of that moment would never fade. _

'_I have to tell Hohenheim the next time I see him,' she thought to herself, a silent vow. _

_She turned, pushed past her brothers, and explored the house more. It had been a long time since she had seen it in person. The kitchen, the halls, the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the backyard, the dining area. No mother. It all still had the look, but the loving feeling was gone. She ended up in the same room she had started. The lonely looking room, with the perfect bed, the perfect window, the perfect light. All it needed was the perfect mother. This thought caused the pain to become real. Her heart started to beat faster as she let out a wail, her cries bringing her brothers to her side. They tried to comfort her as best they could, but no matter how hard they tried, she refused to leave that empty yet perfect room. She climbed onto the bed, as though her mother was hiding in the sheets somewhere, but she couldn't seem to find her. She collapsed on that bed, she and her brothers spending the night there, remembering how perfect the room used to be. _

A lurch in the train's movement caused her to wake, ready for an attack. She only realized how ready she was when the unfamiliar face before her had to deflect her hands before they reached him. She was breathing heavy, sweat running down her forehead and back. She was ready for anything, but it seemed nothing was ready for her. She felt the peace of the sleeping train wash over her, and she relaxed.

"Sorry," she muttered to her companion, sitting herself back in her seat. "I'm not used to waking up to that face."

"I suppose you wouldn't be," he replied, as though he had been half asleep only moments ago. He looked at her cautiously, then out the window. "You were making noises. It woke me up."

"Sorry. I'll try to stop that." They both knew it wasn't that easy, but both were ready for sleep again, so they both went back to sleep.

_It had been a simple thing, to live with her brothers after that evening. When the sun had risen, it was a new day, and she had made a decision. The boys didn't have anyone to take care of them anymore, so she needed to be that woman. Long before either of them woke, she had made that decision, and her short visit of a few days turned into a lifetime, a change that she wanted to alert Hohenheim of. She went to his office to find paper and found it in a state of disarray. Books were strewn everywhere, but she kept herself focused. She found the paper, wrote a long, formal letter describing all that had happened since she arrived, and mailed it, all before her brothers woke. She then began to clean the study. Most of the books were books from her father's research, but a few were over human anatomy._

'_Were they studying medical alchemy?' she thought, the other possibility not entering her mind until she saw two words boldly printed across a page. Human transmutation. Then, she understood. However, as much as she wanted to, she wasn't the type of person to race to her brothers and yell at them about how wrong they were. She was the type to plan how to breach the topic and try to understand them. If she couldn't stop them, protect them. _

_The dream had started to change. _

_It was dark, there were lights flashing. _

_This was no dream._

_This was a nightmare._

_She felt no pain. She felt nothing. Nothing physical. She felt slow, like she was missing something. She saw her brother screaming, but it took her a moment to hear it. She heard him as well as something else. Someone was laughing. Who? Who is that? Oh. It's me. She laughed louder, and he seemed to look at her with horror. As she laughed, she screamed, a strange hybrid sound coming from her lips. Suddenly, she was quiet. The vision around her eyes was turning white. _

"_I seem to have lost my mind," she muttered as the white light covered her vision. _

_The next time she opened her eyes was in a hospital five years later. However, something still wasn't right._

_It was off._

She was shaken awake this time, the glaring light of the sun meeting her tired eyes. His unfamiliar face stood before her. His hand was on her shoulder, shaking her awake. She shrugged it off and collected her things, consisting of the clothes on her back and a small briefcase containing notes and a spare pair of shoes, before she departed the train, taking her time walking through the station to the doors leading out. The business she had used as an excuse was a lie, and now, as she shuffled through the crowd, she realized how bored a person could be.

'I hope my whole stay in Central isn't like this...'

"Hey, Val?" Neid called from behind her, using an uncommon nickname. "I need to say something." She gave him her full attention. "I think Father is watching me right now, so I'll have to return to him soon. But before I go, I just need to tell you that I didn't kill anyone." With those mysterious words, he quickly kissed her cheek and turned into the crowd, becoming someone else in a flash and lost to her eyes. She was confused, as one would be if the person they had just found out they loved had said something like that to them, but she knew she would never find him in the crowd and turned in the opposite direction, heading down the street to find something to do.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" An officer of the police ran up to her, presumably the one who called. Well, this was interesting, just not necessarily in the way she wanted.

"Yes, Officer?" She turned to face the man, and saw his face was red and sweaty. As the crowd pushed and churned around her, she struggled to stay put as the officer likely wanted. He put his hands on his knees to catch his breath, and she took a look at him. He had dirty blonde hair hat at least reached his cheek, longer than she had seen on other men, and wore a neat military uniform with enough badges for a Sergeant. "Or should I call you Sergeant?" She pointed at his badges when he looked shocked, and he laughed a hearty laugh. His eyes were green.

"Sgt. Denny Brosh, ma'am," he introduced with a salute. His face was still red and sweaty, but he had caught his breath. "Sorry, but I need to bring you in for interrogation. Something about that explosion in the medical district." As he led her in the direction of the Central Military Base, she kept her eyes looking for a possible escape. She wanted to get her name cleared as soon as possible, but she didn't have the time to waste. However, there was also a way she could turn this situation to her advantage...

There was a knock at the door, and Colonel Roy Mustang rubbed his temples for what seemed the hundredth time that day. He groaned as Sgt. Brosh opened the door. He said a few words to the woman outside bef toe stepping in.

"Sir, I brought you another one," Brosh announced. The Colonel sighed and stood, taking his temporary underling around the arms and clearing his throat as if he was about to give a life-changing speech.

"Listen, Denny. I know you haven't been working for me for long, but I feel like there are some problems we need to work out. Firstly, why do you keep bringing random Xingese women to my office?" The Sergeant blinked, thinking about his response before giving it.

"Well, Sir, my job is to bring in the Xingese woman that escaped from that mental hospital in the case you're working on," he replied innocently. Mustang pinched the bridge of his nose, removing his hand from his subordinate's shoulder and putting it on his hip.

"Denny, how many times do I have to tell you that the woman we're looking for ISN'T XINGESE?!" He had started yelling at the end, and he started moving his hands as he talked, a bad habit of his.

"But Sir! All that we were told was that she had black hair and looked Xingese!"

"There's a picture of her in the break room, Denny!"

"But Sir! The low-ranked officers aren't allowed in the break room! It would give me an unfair advantage if I was the only one on the search who saw the picture! Wait, why am I the only Sergeant on the search?" Mustang groaned and tried to stop himself from yelling at the young man. How Alex dealt with him on a daily basis, he would never understand. After he had thought up an acceptable speech, he sighed and put a hand on Brosh's shoulder, signalling the start of his new life-changing speech.

"Listen, Denny. I know you want to be as fair as possible, but life isn't fair. We're all given different lots in life. You, you're good with faces. If you saw that girl's picture, you could pick her out of a thousand person crowd. Me, I'm not so good with faces. I'd forget Hawkeye's if she didn't shove it in my face everyday. That's how we're different, and that's why we need you, and you specifically, to find the girl that escaped and bring her to me. The other officers have their own important work to do, so go to the break room, look at the picture, and BRING ME THE RIGHT FRICKIN WOMAN!" He shoved Brosh out the door with his last words and noticed that the woman he had brought in was still standing there. In all honesty, he didn't _just_ notice her. He did a double take. She was definitely the prettiest Xingese woman Brosh had brought him. "Hey Brosh," be called out to the young man. He turned, only to see his superior facing the woman. "I can certainly see why this one caught your eye. She's a beauty!" He was staring right at her. Brosh sweat-dropped. Mustang was a notorious flirt, and it looked like he was at it again. Both men braced themselves for the inevitable slap, but it never came. Her cheeks reddened, and she grabbed a strand of her hair to play with.

"Th-thank you. To hear such a handsome man call me beautiful," she trailed off. She was obviously flustered, and her ears began to turn red. "I guess it just made my day!"

Denny Brosh turned back to his duties, straightening his cap and heading for the break room.

"_Ishvala... I may not worship you, but please help that girl!"_

**MWahahahhahahah! Yes, I have returned! Reboooooorn! **

**So, new chapter here. AND it hasn't been a year! **

**I really like the end of this one ;) **

**I don't have anything****special to say, so here's Valerie's Observation Guide!**

**Riza Hawkeye**

**Alias: Hawk's Eye, The Queen, Elizabeth**

**Reason for Investigation: Signs of jealousy toward women near Roy Mustang.**

**Current Rank: Lieutenant**

**ID: Kept well-hidden**

**Pro: Good Eyes. Powerful. Threatening atmosphere.**

**Cons: Loyal to one man. Hateful relationship. **

**Usefulness: 12-65%**

**Notes: Do not anger. Would be enjoyable to dispose of. I believe she has caught on to my curiosity and has ordered her underlings to be more vigilant. Future observations may be more difficult to obtain. **


End file.
